Ziwi Peak: Facts, Recalls & Verified Foods
Ziwi Peak is made by FountainVest Partners, founded 2002 — it scores green on 2 of 5 WSAVA-aligned criteria we track (0 red, 3 undisclosed), no FDA recalls on record, and 0 of the 18 Ziwi Peak foods we've verified carry an AAFCO feeding-trial statement.
· 18 Ziwi Peak food labels checked
The scorecard
WSAVA-aligned criteria
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association's nutrition guidelines suggest questions to ask any pet food maker before you buy. Here are this brand's answers, each with its source, or marked undisclosed when we could not confirm one.
2 of 5 criteria confirmed yes · 0 confirmed no · 3 undisclosed. Undisclosed is common, especially for smaller brands — it means we couldn't confirm an answer from a public source, not that the answer is unfavorable.
We could not confirm this from a public source.
ZIWI built and operates its own NZ$85m production kitchen (largest pet-food factory in NZ) at Awatoto, Napier.
source & quote
view source →
No feeding-trial AAFCO statement found on the 18 labels we’ve verified for this brand, and no company-wide claim was found either. Most pet foods are only "formulated to meet" AAFCO profiles (a paper calculation) rather than fed to real animals in trials — this is common, not necessarily a red flag.
ziwipets.com FAQ is JavaScript-loaded; its answer on pathogens could not be read by our fetcher.
1 PubMed paper (animal/pet filtered) list ZIWI Ltd in an author address; we checked 1 and 1 really name the company. A floor, not a total.
source
These five checks come from WSAVA's guidelines on selecting pet foods — not our own opinion score. WSAVA does not approve or list brands. See how all 50 brands we track answer WSAVA's questions → · Our methodology →
The company
Who makes Ziwi Peak
Ownership and history, each sourced independently — private-label and co-packed brands often hide the actual manufacturer behind the name on the bag.
Parent company
FountainVest Partners
source
view source →
Founded
2002
source
view source →
Headquarters
Mount Maunganui, New Zealand
source
view source →
The cost
What Ziwi Peak costs, against everything else we have priced
The median Ziwi Peak dry food we have priced works out at $9.00 per 1,000 kcal, against $2.11 for the median dry food we have priced — so it sits about 4.3x above the market. Cost per 1,000 kcal is the only basis that survives different bag sizes and moisture levels; per pound this comparison would mean nothing. On composition the gap is usually smaller than the price gap implies: 43.2% dry-matter protein against a median of 32.2%.
Ziwi Peak foods by cost per 1,000 kcal
| Food | Form | Protein (DM) | Cost / 1,000 kcal | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam & Dried Cage-free Chicken with Whole Mackerel Recipe for cats | dry | 43.2% | $9.00 | Check price |
What Ziwi Peak actually puts in its food
The ingredients this brand reaches for most across its 18 verified foods, counted once per recipe. Each links to what the ingredient is, what the evidence says, and how common it is industry-wide.
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Taurine (supplemental)
In 18 of 18 Ziwi Peak foods (100%).
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Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
In 10 of 18 Ziwi Peak foods (56%).
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Mixed tocopherols (natural vitamin E)
In 8 of 18 Ziwi Peak foods (44%).
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Prebiotics (chicory root / inulin, FOS)
In 5 of 18 Ziwi Peak foods (28%).
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Chondroitin sulfate
In 3 of 18 Ziwi Peak foods (17%).
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Peas
In 3 of 18 Ziwi Peak foods (17%).
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Lentils
In 3 of 18 Ziwi Peak foods (17%).
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Rosemary extract
In 3 of 18 Ziwi Peak foods (17%).
The safety record
FDA recall history
From the FDA's Animal & Veterinary recall list, last checked 2026-11-11, plus older FDA notices we added by hand. Ziwi Peak recall page →
The FDA's online recall list is complete for recent years but leaves out many notices from before about 2023. We add older FDA recall notices by hand when we find them.
The labels
What we've verified from Ziwi Peak's labels
Computed directly from the official-label data we've extracted for this brand — never estimated.
Foods verified
18
0 dog · 18 cat
Feeding-trial validated
0
of 18 (0%)
Formulated to meet
0
AAFCO paper calculation
Label transparency
43%
avg. fields disclosed
The foods
Foods from Ziwi Peak we've verified
Every one links to its own Verified Label — guaranteed analysis, AAFCO statement, and (where priced) cost per day.